Confession: I felt shortchanged this summer when the bearings went out in my motorcycle’s engine and I had to rent a car to get to Billings, Montana for a week of engagements.

Note to self, that’s a serious sense of entitlement, Tamela.

This Friday I leave for a week on my bike.  My ultimate destination is Hagerstown, Maryland (details below). I have a pent-up need for twisty roads and nature, which I’ll get a lot of as I travel through West Virginia and western Maryland.

If you live anywhere nearby, please get in touch. I’d love to grab a cuppa.

MSTA Fall Colors Rally

I’m eager  meet up with my  dear friend Jill, a fellow BMW GS rider and knitter, in West Virginia at the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association’s Fall Colors Rally near The Greenbrier and we’ll tour some fabulous roads in the Monogahela National Forest. The leaves will be turning before our eyes, so I already have a fresh SD card in my camera!

If you’ve never been in the region, this topo map will give you a sense for the wonders that await us. Let me know if you’ll be in the area over the weekend, okay?

Hagerstown Rotary Club

I think our media-drenched lives perpetuate a world view that people are scary (at best) and evil (at worse) and that’s simply not true. I’ll address that Wednesday, October 9 with the Rotarians when they meet at the Fountain Head Country Club at noon.

The number one question I’m asked about my travels is whether I’m afraid to travel alone.  I’ll talk about life on the road as a solo traveler, telling stories of people who’ve helped me out of jams and inspired me to live a better life.

Meritus Health’s Pink Palooza

When I spoke to the National Consortium of Breast Centers this March, the organizers of  Meritus Health’s Pink Palooza asked me to speak to breast cancer survivors and their families. On Friday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m.

I look forward to sharing stories from folks I’ve met who’ve faced the disease with grace, humor, moxie and joy; they certainly changed my outlook on life. While there I’ll also be signing copies of my book, Live Full Throttle: Life Lessons from Friends Who Faced Cancer. This video gives you a sense for what’s in store at Meritus.